A campaign has launched on ManaBalss platform to collect signatures in favour of Latvia exiting the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines.
283 people have signed the campaign so far. For it to be submitted to the Saeima for review, it needs to receive signatures from 9 717 Latvian citizens.
“I would like Latvia to realistically evaluate our military defence strategy and, especially in these threatening circumstances, to review our participation in the Ottawa Convention, which provides for a ban on the use of anti-personnel mines. This would be an effective and reasonable step to protect our country,” the author of the initiative, Atis Stankevičs, mentioned in the application.
According to him, with at least 10 000 signatures the initiative would be submitted to the Saeima to vote on a possible exit from the Ottawa Convention.
He says this way “Latvian society would gain a sense of security, knowing that Latvia’s border could be mined in the event of a potential aggressor’s invasion.
In TV24 programme “Topical news about the war in Ukraine”, Maj. Jānis Slaidiņš recommended Latvia to exit from this convention.”
“We can see with Ukraine that you cannot stop your enemy if you don’t have minefields. We need them. This is my personal opinion. We should work on that,” said Slaidiņš.
USA, Russia, China or Ukraine have not signed this convention either. “If a war started, we would need all possible means at our disposal. The most important task is stopping the enemy,” said Slaidiņš.
The Ottawa Convention provides that each State Party undertakes never, under any circumstances: to use anti-personnel mines; not to develop, produce, otherwise acquire, store, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, anti-personnel mines; not to assist, support or induce anyone in any way to engage in any activity prohibited to any State Party under this Convention. Each member state is required to destroy all anti-personnel mines or to ensure their destruction in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.
Also read: Secret documents suggest NATO is preparing for Russia’s possible attack
Follow us on Facebook and X!